Privacy on The Internet

 

Growing up I remember watching so many shows where the villain’s main goal was to gain immortality and to then rule the universe till its end. Now that I’m older I’ve come to appreciate how short our human lives are in comparison to things like the earth or the universe. If that sounds weird then look at it like this. Its because of how brief life is that you appreciate it all the more. It’s the same way with things like oil or gold. It’s not just something you can casually grab at your local market. So, it becomes much more valuable. Now with that line of thinking you could think of Immortality as an endless source of a valuable resource. But when you realize that once something is in abundance like rocks or dirt it losses that value, or it losses its brilliance. We now live in an age were this very thing can happen, because of a lack of privacy.

 

               One of the biggest differences between books and the internet is that books just can’t survive as long. But, once we post that really cute selfie or we share that family picture, or we even just leave a comment on a picture we saw a few years back. It’ll stay there, from the day you posted it till way beyond your own lifetime. With just the most recent scandal of Cambridge Analytica. Our private posts and searches have all proven to be not as private as we thought. And it doesn’t end there. Our information has been tracked in real time as we go for walks or leave our cars parked outside. Governments have been known to track our locations our frequently visited places, to even what kind of crowds we hang around. We live in an age were with just a picture of your face and some run of the mill information. Anyone can get to your much more personal and important information. A real-life example could be found in China. The country is so connected with technology that it seems almost impossible to stay off the grid. Just for J-walking street cameras have been programed to recognize when someone is not only doing that, but to publicly shame that person by identifying them and in displaying their image as well as sending them a fine. Now to some that may sound like a just punishment. The person broke the law so they are being punished in a way that will make them think twice before doing it again. However, the real-world implications of technology that can identify you in real time out in public is horrifying to say the least.

               But the government spying on us isn’t the only threat to our privacy. Our past relations are more then able to just do a little harm. With all the great things that come with our new world of social media also comes some bad things. Cyber Bullying is one of them. People posting or saying hurtful/negative things about people. It can go so far that some people will post very compromising images/information about people that causes some real damage in their lives. Our privacy in this day and age is always at risk. Whether we post daily or barely ever. Sometimes you don’t even have to be the one taking the action for harm to be done. The best things we can do for ourselves is to learn what we can and use the tools being developed to the best of our abilities to keep our privacy.